


A Twenty-Fourth Century Fruit Basket

by parcequelle



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/F, Trek Rarepair Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 16:19:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19176928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parcequelle/pseuds/parcequelle
Summary: The problem wasn’t that she didn’t know what she wanted; the problem was that she did know what she wanted, she just didn’t know how to go about getting it.





	A Twenty-Fourth Century Fruit Basket

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mazily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mazily/gifts).



> For mazily, who has great taste in femslash ships, for Round 30 of the Trek Rarepair Swap.

The problem wasn’t that she didn’t know what she wanted; the problem was that she did know what she wanted, she just didn’t know how to go about getting it.

She was swirling a half-drunk glass of wine around in her hand when Guinan approached her, her hat cocked at a similar angle to her eyebrow. ‘Something on your mind?’ she asked, and her voice was as gentle as ever, but Beverly still startled. 

‘Sorry, Guinan. No. Yes.’ She frowned, and blinked, and sighed. ‘Won’t you have a seat?’

Guinan glanced around at the near-empty room and then smiled indulgently. ‘I think I can spare a few minutes to chat.’

Guinan was already watching her with those fathomless, calculating eyes, and even though Beverly swore in that moment not to give into them, it was less than a minute before she was confessing the name of her preoccupation.

‘Lwaxana,’ Guinan repeated, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands together. ‘Interesting.’

Beverly waited, but when nothing more was forthcoming, she burst out, ‘Is that all you’ve got to say?’

Guinan blinked once, slowly, and then said, ‘Would you prefer… unexpected?’

‘That’s more like it,’ Beverly said, relieved that she wouldn’t have to spell it out. ‘ _Entirely_ unexpected.’

‘Inconvenient?’ Guinan suggested.

‘Yes! Inconvenient. Unexpected, inconvenient, ridiculous, impossible, absurd—’

‘Then what’s the problem?’ Guinan asked, cutting her off mid-list. She’d been really getting into the swing of things, and found herself sitting there with an open mouth, disappointed at the interruption.

‘What?’

‘If it’s so ridiculous, impossible, and absurd, then what’s the problem? Why are we even discussing it?’

Beverly narrowed her eyes. Guinan looked innocent.

Too innocent.

‘Do you…’ she began, and then stopped. ‘Maybe I... oh, all right, I suppose it isn’t entirely impossible. Or absurd. We’ve had some wonderful conversations over these last few weeks, and my feelings haven’t come out of nowhere, but she’s a telepath! Surely if she was interested in me as well she’d just… oh,’ she said, realisation dawning. She looked up from where she’d been staring at her short-trimmed nails and said, ‘I’m going to have to talk to her, aren’t I?’

Guinan nodded. ‘You are. But you know who you’re going to have to talk to first, don’t you?’

Now Beverly nodded, albeit reluctantly.

‘Remember, she’s an empath,’ Guinan said, with a smile that might have been more reassuring had Beverly not been preparing to ask a friend for permission to seduce said friend’s mother. ‘I doubt this will come as a surprise.’

*

‘You and my _mother_?’ Deanna exclaimed, when Beverly had made her fidgety, stop-start speech and finally gotten the words out. ‘Since when?’

‘Nothing’s happened,’ Beverly stammered, ‘nothing… nothing will happen for certain, but we’ve been getting to know each other these last few weeks on board, and I’ve sensed… sorry, poor choice of words.’ She flashed Deanna a tight smile that Deanna returned less tightly. ‘I’ve gotten the impression she might have some feelings for me, and they’re feelings that I might… well, that I do… return.’ She swallowed, steeled herself, reminded herself that she had nothing to be ashamed of; that this might have been unexpected, but it wasn’t wrong, and she was doing the right thing in coming to Deanna before pursuing it. ‘I haven’t approached her yet. I only realised this evening that she’s probably waiting for me to do so. I just… I wanted to talk to you first. I won’t approach her if it isn’t something you’re comfortable with, Deanna.’ She reached over to grip Deanna’s hand in hers, and was relieved when she felt no resistance. ‘I don’t want to do anything that might harm our friendship.’

She stopped, time suspended in fear, and kept her eyes on Deanna’s as Deanna processed this. After the longest moment in history, Deanna chuckled and squeezed her hand. ‘Do breathe, Beverly. I hear it’s recommended.’

Beverly released a breath that was also a laugh, ducked her head in sudden embarrassment. When she looked up again, she met deep, dark eyes that were steady, and understanding, and… amused?

‘I’m not upset,’ Deanna said. ‘I promise. I’m a little surprised, I’ll admit that, but I’m not upset.’

‘You’re not?’

Deanna shook her head. ‘I appreciate you coming to me, but you didn’t have to. My mother is her own woman, as are you, and what you want to do together is entirely up to you. I would never presume to tell you—’

‘ _Really_?’ Beverly interjected, before she could help herself. She couldn’t help it; if their roles were reversed, she knew she’d have a hard time swallowing a friend wanting to get involved with Nana. Or Wesley.

She’d try not to dwell on that one too much.

‘At the risk of simplifying things, I think we may be dealing with a cultural disparity, here. You know about Betazoid physiology; I know you know a bit about our sociocultural practices, too.’

‘Some,’ Beverly admitted; she was by no means an expert, even on Betazoid physiology. There were still so few Betazoids in Starfleet, not even counting Deanna and her unique genetic makeup, and Beverly rarely had cause to use the knowledge she had acquired at Starfleet Academy. 

‘Then you likely know that multi-partner relationships are common, are in fact more prevalent than Terran-traditional pair bonds. Open and casual relationships are common as well, between all genders and all generations, provided all parties involved are of a consenting age. Both emotional and physical relationships,’ she added. When Beverly didn’t respond for several long moments, Deanna squeezed her hand. ‘When you’re ready, tell me what you’re thinking.’

Beverly nodded. Deanna might have been able to read her emotions, but she waited until the words had formed coherently in her mind before she said, ‘Honestly, I’m thinking… it can’t be this easy.’

Deanna smiled at her – indulgently, she thought; it was the smile she wore when Humans were being eccentric, or making life especially difficult for themselves. ‘But it can,’ Deanna said. ‘It can, if you let it.’

*

Twenty-three minutes and a long, grateful hug later, Beverly was standing outside Lwaxana’s guest quarters, wishing she’d thought to change out of her uniform before requesting entrance. But the thought had occurred to her too late to be of any use; the doors were already sliding open to present Mr Homn, as looming and pleasantly stoic as usual.

‘Good evening, Mr Homn,’ Beverly said. ‘Is Ambassador Troi in?’

She knew she was in – she had checked with the computer just after leaving Deanna’s quarters – but there was no harm in being polite. No _Homn_ in being polite, she thought, and bit her tongue on the wild urge to laugh. She was nervous. Lwaxana was going to sense it. Lwaxana was likely already sensing it. Lwaxana was—

—in front of her, wrapped in the most deliciously cleavage-enhancing gown Beverly had ever seen her wear, and that was saying something. She blinked dumbly at the image Lwaxana presented, suave and seductive as she leant against the doorjamb of the sleeping area, a long slit in the dress fabric exposing one shapely leg and a bare foot, a fact Beverly found unexpected, and unexpectedly charming.

‘Hi,’ she said, when she remembered how to move her mouth.

‘Hello, Beverly,’ Lwaxana said. Her dark eyes were sparkling, teasing, and Beverly wanted to leap the table between them and _devour_ her. She wasn’t sorry when Lwaxana said, off-handed, ‘You may go, Mr Homn.’

Mr Homn bowed and did, and they were alone.

‘What brings you here this evening?’ Lwaxana asked. Beverly had a witty retort on the tip of her tongue, but then Lwaxana took a step toward her – sidled, really – and it vanished, leaving only the truth.

‘I came to seduce you,’ Beverly heard herself say. ‘Though I suspect you knew that.’

Lwaxana laughed, the elegant line of her neck drawing Beverly’s gaze and holding it. ‘I hoped,’ Lwaxana said. ‘What made you decide to come to me?’

Beverly felt herself reddening, and murmured, ‘Ah, Deanna. She set straight some of my… concerns.’

‘Very good,’ Lwaxana said. She looked genuinely delighted. And then she said, ‘I’ve been longing for you for weeks, my dear,’ and Beverly’s heart stopped and then restarted at double time.

‘Why… why didn’t you say something, then?’

‘Oh, you know,’ said Lwaxana dismissively, ‘you Humans can be so touchy about these things, I didn’t want to send you spiralling into some kind of crisis. And it’s a question of etiquette, you see, when a Betazoid is interested in a non-telepath, that she not be the one to… initiate proceedings.’

They had edged closer together and were now a mere foot apart; Beverly’s resolve wouldn’t last much longer, not with Lwaxana looking like that, and looking _at_ her like that, but she had enough in her to digest that and laugh. ‘Even though you’re always telling Captain Picard what lascivious thoughts he’s having about you?’

Lwaxana smirked and said, ‘Well, I’ve never been truly interested in Jean-Luc, have I?’ and a few things slotted into place in Beverly’s mind.

She stepped forward, took Lwaxana’s hands in her own, and said, ‘As a non-telepath, then, I’d like to give you my formal verbal consent. That I am interested in you and would like to pursue a physical relationship.’ She glanced down at Lwaxana’s dark red lips and couldn’t help licking her own. ‘Right now, if you’d like.’

‘Oh, I would like,’ Lwaxana said. She drew Beverly forward and pressed their smiles together, her hand sliding into Beverly’s hair, and Beverly sighed a sigh of relief, and contentment, and quick-building desire. ‘May I invite you on a tour of my sleeping quarters?’ Lwaxana asked when she pulled back, breathless and scrumptious and smudged around the edges.

Beverly laughed and kissed her again. ‘Lead the way.’

She’d have to send Guinan and Deanna a fruit basket. Each.


End file.
